Site plan meeting now scheduled for Feb. 26.
By: Jennifer Potash
The ongoing review of The Arts Council of Princeton’s proposed expansion plan will be delayed about two weeks to Feb. 26.
The Site Plan Review Advisory Board of the Princeton Regional Planning Board originally scheduled the hearing for its regularly scheduled meeting Wednesday.
But The Arts Council requested a delay because some of its consultants were unavailable for the meeting, said Kerry Philip-Goldberg, administrative secretary to the advisory board.
With several applicants awaiting review, the Princeton Regional Planning Office intended to have a special meeting in addition to the regular Feb. 12 date, she said.
The Arts Council is seeking major site plan approval for the Michael Graves-designed expansion of its facility at Witherspoon Street and Paul Robeson Place.
The first part of the hearing on the project, held Jan. 15, involved mostly traffic and parking issues at the site.
The review on Feb. 26 is expected to focus on the building size and zoning variances requested for the project, a 9,900-square-foot addition that will add classroom and gallery space as well as handicap-accessible features.
Instead of adding a new 200-seat theater, as the original plans had called for, the revised plans call for the renovation of the existing loft theater that seats between 120 and 140 people.
The Arts Council plans have drawn vociferous objections from residents of the John-Witherspoon neighborhood.
While The Arts Council has held meetings to reach out to the community, many residents have said the organization simply has not addressed their concerns about the building size and potential traffic impact on the most densely populated borough neighborhood.
Following the advisory board’s review, the plans will go to the Planning Board, which turned down The Arts Council’s previous expansion proposal.